These 40 up-and-comersall 40 years old or youngerare changing the way Americans eat and drink, from a vodka distiller who rewrote Nebraska's Prohibition-era laws to a White House chef who's fiercely fighting to improve school-lunch programs.

Three years ago, when these Georgetown University classmates launched the quick-service salad shop Sweetgreen their senior year, they built in a serious eco ethos that's only gotten stronger. Backed by investors with environmental chops, including Stonyfield Farm founder Gary Hirshberg, the team built five DCarea locations in three years, with a Philadelphia expansion in the works. The restaurants run on wind energy, source local ingredients and send a fuel-efficient truck around the city selling organic frozen yogurt.